Blog Tour ~ Hollywood Lies by N.K. Smith

In a world where make believe is a multibillion dollar industry, it’s hard to know where the fantasy ends and real life begins. When Collette Stroud, an influential Hollywood actor and director, takes a chance on two young actors for her romantic teen movie, three lives converge in a complicated web of publicity, passion, lust, and lies.

The web is cast when Stroud, a woman with a few skeletons in her closet, hires two young artists in her low-budget film. She handpicks Liliana Addison and Devon Maddox to be Hollywood’s next big stars. Former child star Liliana has had limited success with her previous roles but hopes to take the world by storm under Collette’s tutelage. While Devon is an out of work actor, he never stops dreaming about making it big. The director’s interest in him assures Devon his dreams are about to become reality.

Sparks between Collette and Devon set their lives ablaze, but the studio has other plans. Executives concoct a fictitious romance in order to drive box office sales and launch careers between Devon and Liliana. When the studio offers to make the young actors into bona fide stars, will the price be too high to pay, or will the deal be too sweet to pass up?

Can the trio handle the pressure of a hidden romance coupled with a phony public relationship? Will love be enough to conquer the promise of fame, fortune, and a lasting legacy, or will it be an easy sacrifice?

All three will tread the thin line of Hollywood Lies and genuine passion on the most important red carpet walk of their lives.

This was a different read for me I have read books where the famous person falls for the not famous one. This was a nice different twist.

I have to say that until I read books that have the famous people I never even once looked at it as they have any kind of hardship in what they do. This has been just another eye opener for me that they don’t have it easy. I know it isn’t a biography so it isn’t a true story but it still makes me wonder how difficult it must be to just be in a relationship with an actor/musician. I know that some of them absolutely love the attention they get and I am sure at first it would be amazing but at the same time to know that nothing you do is private.

The sex was awesome too! It it is written in different points of views. So getting to see from his and hers was nice. There are a few different people who take on an important role in this story. I was drawn in and wanted to know when the truth was going to come out about things. There is a lot that happens and a lot of lies and secrets.

How did you come up with the concept of the story?

I’ve been thinking about the concept for years. Probably since the late nineties when the conversation of newly released movies turned from the content of the film to the film’s stars who fell in love. I started to wonder if the stars were really in love or if it was “leaked” so people would go see the film to see the stars fall in love.

Cole has been in my head for much longer. She’s aged in my mind from when I first started thinking of her, but her story has remained largely the same.

Was it easy to come up with the title of the book? Did that come first or was the story first then the title?

The title was easy on this one. Usually I struggle with titles, trying a million on for size until something feels right. This one was straight forward. The story came first and the theme dictated the title.

When did you know that writing is what you wanted to do?

I’m not sure. I’ve always used the written word to express myself, but it wasn’t until after high school that I realized I could use it to document the stories I told myself to fight off boredom. Throughout college, I wrote academic papers, typically about past events, but then started writing creatively quite often.

It was probably five years ago that I really decided I wanted to write and publish.

What are you currently working on?

Right now I’m editing “Are You Mine?” which will be out in August. I’m in the beginning stages of plotting out a continuation of the Hollywood Lies universe, and I’ll be starting to write a new novel in July. I have the first chapter done, but I’ve had to put it on hold so I could handle some other things.

Out of all your books which would you say is the dearest to your heart? (I know it is like asking a parent to pick their favorite child)

I like all of them, honestly, but if I have to pick one that’s “dearest to my heart,” meaning, the one that is the most special of all, I’d have to pick Ghosts of Our Pasts. That novel was something I had to write. I couldn’t have stopped it from spilling from my brain even if I’d wanted it to. It was cathartic and very necessary.

Was there a message in Hollywood Lies that you want your readers to grasp? Or was the story mostly for fun?

Mostly it was just for fun, but I suppose if you had to get a message out of it, it would be that storytelling doesn’t just stop at books, television shows, and movies. Stories are all around us.

What book are you reading now?

I just finished The Silver Lining’s Playbook by Matthew Quick. Oh, my god, it was pretty fantastic. Better than the movie. It was everything I needed in a novel. For me, it was a page turner, and there are so many fantastic insights on society and how we react to and deal with mental disorders. Just fantastic.

When writing Hollywood Lies what would you say was the most difficult part?

Well, I haven’t really written full-on erotica before, so I think for me, the hardest thing was judging the ratio of story vs. sex. I didn’t want to have the erotic scenes overpower the story. When I reread it, I didn’t think it did, but some readers may think otherwise.

The great thing is that with this, I can improve and get better. I’m already thinking about the next one and how to get a better handle on the balance of an erotic novel.

What are 3 things that people don’t know about you?

I don’t know what people know of me, so I’ll just push out three random facts:

I hate coconut. I like the milk, but hate those little slivers of coconut flesh that go “squishck” when you bite them.

My favorite color is orange.

My favorite shoes are called Kwons. Mine are over nine years old. I bought them at a Goodwill in Florida for twelve bucks. They were about two sizes too big, so I put another insole in them. Now they have about five holes per sole and are basically falling apart, but I cannot bring myself to throw them away. I love them. I used to wear them as my house shoes instead of slippers. (OMG, I just found a supplier of these shoes! I’m getting a new pair! I’m so happy!)

How are those for some boring facts about yours truly?

What do you do when that pesky little thing called writers block takes over?

It’s pretty straight forward for me. I stop writing and do something else. If I still can’t write when I get back to it, I write something for another manuscript. It’s always good to have more than one project going at a time.

What is your favorite positive quote?

First, I LOVE positive quotes, so I have many, but this one is speaking to me at the moment: “I am not discouraged, because every wrong attempt discarded is another step forward.” Thomas A. Edison

Thanks for having me on your blog! I appreciate what you do as a book blogger!

Based in the American Midwest, N.K. Smith is a Technical Writer for a Fortune 100 company. The author of the Old Wounds Series, she is a mother of two who finds the time to write very early in the morning when the rest of the world is still fast asleep.

An avid lover of history, art, music, books, and people, she is interested in telling stories that speak to the human condition.

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Found my new love for books when a good friend sent me the Sookie books and I was stuck in a paranormal state and only wanted that then I came across Shayla Black and read her Wicked Lovers Series which got me into the contemporary romance with a "twist" and since then I have just been a reading fanatic! And LOVE every minute of my escape from reality.
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This entry was posted on Wednesday, July 10th, 2013 at 5:15 pm and posted in Blog Tour, Books. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.